Long term reintroduction after declan

[ps25]

Wow! We had a declan last night that came out of nowhere.  Two year old brothers, have never seen any signs of a problem between them.  Left the room, came back 30 mins later and they were covered in blood and quivering.  Poor things.  I've no idea what triggered this :-(

So now I am trying to figure out what to do with them. I know I cant try to reintroduce them right now but never ever?  How long do gerbils remember a gerbil that they have fought???

I really dont want to get more gerbils (I was looking to reduce my gerbil hoard, not increase it) so one option I am thinking about is a permanent split tank. But I dont like the idea of these boys being in a permanent split tank for the rest of their lives.  Has anyone tried reintroducing declanned gerbils after a longer period of time like 3-6 months?  

[betty]

Unfortunately the declans can appear to come out of nowhere - especially if there was a trigger rather than a general change of power.

The theory is that all the while they remember who the boss was (and noone wants to change their mind) - they probably won't settle back together.

However, some people have suggested that if they are able to 'reset' who they are (ie the old boss agrees to accept the other one as the boss) - then it may work with a careful split.

The problem usally is that noone wants to change where they are without good reason. It is like admitting defeat - so most attempts at reintroductions after a proper fight don't work out unfortunately.

Your suggestion of like 6 months could be your best bet - especially if they were in a permanent split set up the whole time without getting stressed or anything. If you weren't planning on getting them new friends anyway - it would certainly be an interesting experiment.

[ps25]

Thanks Betty. I was waiting for you to chime in :-)
None of my options for this ex-pair are great. But I'd also hate to have them in a permanent split tank for so long. Right now, we are letting the dust settle and not rushing into any decisions. But if I do attempt this I will definitely provide an update.